1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image forming apparatus (nonimpact printer) that uses an ink or dye ribbon, including electroresistive ribbon types, and one or more forms of energy to cause the transfer of a selected portion of ink or dye or the like to a substrate to prepare (i.e., precoat) that substrate for subsequent image formation, to overcoat an image already formed, to form an image directly, or to form an intermediate image for subsequent transfer to form a permanent image. More precisely, this invention relates to printing devices that employ ribbons having ink or dye panels thereon of types that are adapted to carry out the various printing tasks described, and to read/write means for (1) recording on such ribbons which of the included panels or parts thereof have previously been used; and (2) reading such ribbon usage data so that unused panels or portions thereof may be searched out for use, thereby minimizing wastage of ribbon.
2. Background Information
In Applicant's previous application Ser. No. 8/039,871 filed Mar. 30, 1993, there were disclosed a variety of "combination" ribbons (or "transfer media") that included thereon ink or dye panels appropriate to carrying out precoating, over-coating, and nonimpact printing both on temporary and permanent substrates. Included in that disclosure is a description of means for recording the usage of such ribbons, specifically, by (1) maintaining an electronic record of the ribbon position at all times, based upon the pre-printed disposition on such ribbons of several types of position markers; and (2) maintaining a record of those times (and ribbon positions) at which some printing process was carried out, e.g., by recording an "up" or "down" position of the print head or the like, by providing a printing "flag" in the print data generator (whereby that flag would be sent to the printer controller for recording), or by similar means. It was also shown how the usage data so generated can be maintained within the memory of the printer itself, or for "portability" purposes that "usage map" can also be transferred to a memory chip incorporated within the ribbon cassette. The process requires for its implementation a printer that includes appropriate data processing and digital memory means, and as noted the ribbon cassette must also include memory if the usage data pertaining to that particular cassette are to accompany it from one printer to another.